How to Deliver a Big Message on a Small Screen

Web presentations are the way of the future – they’re efficient, cost-effective and reach a large and/or far-off audience. However, they come with some major challenges, such as limited or nonexistent engagement, myriad distractions and technical issues. Nonetheless, Julie Hansen has the antidote to those ails. The author of Sales Presentations for Dummies shared her expertise on how to develop stellar web presentation skills during an education session at ASI Orlando.

Increase your presence “A human face draws us in,” Hansen said. “Increasing your presence is the most important thing you can do to connect with a client.” You can increase your presence by being energized; if you’re laid back and passive, it will carry over to your audience. You also want to add points of engagement – be disciplined about how long you speak. Hansen recommends not going more than two minutes without addressing your audience or asking them a question. At the end of your presentation, you should have a credentials slide showing your headshot, website, contact information and a line or two about your background.

Leverage your voiceAccording to Hansen, we receive communication in three ways: physicality (55%), voice (38%) and words (7%). Oftentimes in web presentations, you can’t use your physicality, leaving your voice as the most crucial form of communication. By varying your volume, range, pace, emphasis and pauses, you command your audience’s attention. Hansen suggests recording yourself to catch any gap-filling words you may unknowingly rely on, such as “um,” “like” or “you know.”

Engage your audiencBy interacting with your listeners right off the bat, you’ll alert them to pay attention for the entire presentation. Using their names and asking questions every two minutes is the best way to capture their interest. If they do space out, Hansen says you shouldn’t be afraid to reiterate your previous point. “Summarize, summarize, summarize,” she said. “Summarize after every concept or major point to those who missed out or to emphasize the importance to those who were listening.”

Master some web cam tricksTo achieve this, Hansen recommends that you do the following: 1. Know your camera’s frame, and make slow, deliberate movements so the video feed doesn’t miss anything. 2. Lean forward to show interest and engagement. 3. Smile when not talking. 4. Don’t wear white, red, black or stripes. 5. Drink plenty of water. 6. And after all that, be natural.

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